Here To Ear installation at Queensland Gallery of Modern Art

You’ve heard of a bird on a wire, right? New art entitled Here To Ear (v.13) 2010, by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, is currently installed at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. The installation is both intensely seductive and aesthetically beautiful, whilst providing a fabulous re-use for thousands of wire coat hangers.

It works like this: right before your eyes, dozens of tiny finches (each a work of art in its own right) alight on coat hangers that hang in pods from the gallery ceiling. The movement of each bird triggers a sound. By capturing the movement of the finches and letting these random notes mingle with the birds’ own singing, Boursier-Mougenot has given us a great privilege, allowing us to briefly become part of their natural world.